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allergy the immune system react against a substance that it
is not supposed to react against, and the reaction is often
exaggerated. Objects containing substances that commonly cause
allergy are domestic dust, animal hair, household chemicals,
chlorine, microorganisms, pollen, nuts, citrus fruits and
seafood. Also bacteria and parasites can cause inappropriately
strong immune reactions.
WHAT CAUSES THE IMMUNE SYSTEM TO REACT WITH
ALLERGY TO A SUBSTANCE
In the beginning of the life of a person,
the immune system has the potency to react against most substances
in the body itself and the surroundings. However, there are
mechanisms that learn the immune system to recognize normal
substances found in the daily life in the early infanthood,
and suppress the reactions against these. If this learning
mechanism is disturbed, allergy can develop.
Allergy can also develop if a small child
is never exposed to substances that later will be a normal
ingredient of his daily life. In this case the immune system
will not get the chance to suppress the reaction against this
substance. Letting a small child grow up in an exaggerated
clean and sterile environment can therefore cause allergies.
On the other hand, certain elements not being
a port of a normal environment can cause allergies by repeated
and massive exposure. Examples of such substances are chlorine.
THE SYMPTOMS OF ALLERGY
Any organ can exhibit allergic reactions,
but often the symptoms are confined mainly to one organ or
organ system.
By allergic reactions in the respiratory system
there will be symptoms like: Itching and soreness in the throat
and nose cavities, swelling of the airway tissues, increased
amount of secrets in the airway cavities and coughing. There
may also be asthmatic symptoms or fully developed asthma.
The main symptom of asthma is cramping that constricts the
airways all the way down into the lungs (constriction of the
trachea and tracholes).
By allergic reactions in the skin, there will
be symptoms like: Redness, swelling, red spots, itching and
soars.
HOW TO PREVENT ALLERGY
To prevent allergies in an individual the
best way, one must begin in early childhood.
A child must be allowed to get in contact
with natural elements like earth, dirt, animals, plants, physical
contact with other humans, and the like. This exposure to
natural elements must occur before an allergy has developed.
In this way the immune system will learn to recognize common
and harmless elements, and not overreact against this later
in life.
Research projects have found out that children
having much and early contact with pet animals like cats and
dogs have a less chance of getting allergic problems later
than children not having contact with pets. This is contrary
to what many people believe.
On the other hands, every person should be
protected from early childhood from certain elements normally
not found in a natural environment, for example chlorine,
soaps and cosmetics with artificial substances, and food containing
unnatural additives.
METHODS TO TREAT ALLERGY
The first approach in the treatment of manifest
allergy is avoiding exposure to substances causing the allergic
reactions. Even though exposure to natural substances can
prevent allergy, exposure to an allergen should be avoided
when an allergy already has developed. Ways of doing this
is:
- Avoiding food one reacts against - Avoiding
contact with animals one have an allergic reaction towards
- Keeping rooms, clothes beds and furniture well cleaned -
Avoiding use of cleaners, soaps and cosmetics with unnatural
additives - Avoiding foods, drinks and snacks with unnatural
additives - Avoiding daily exposure to chlorine and other
chemicals - In cooperation with your doctor change medicines
you use that may cause allergy with others - Avoiding growth
of moulds in the environment. This is done by well cleaning
and keeping the environment dry.
Children are often exposed to allergens at
school, and adults are often exposed at work. Parents with
allergic children must inspect the school environment and
require from the school administration and teachers that practically
possible environmental measures are provided to keep the school
free from allergens. An employee should require the same from
his employer.
If you do not know exactly everything you
react against, you can try to stop exposure to one factor
after another, until you feel that the allergy alleviates,
and then keep this factor out of your daily life for the future.
Sometimes avoiding allergens is difficult
to accomplish, or make the lifestyle to restricted to be acceptable.
Then one must apply medical treatment that alleviates the
allergy.
A common way of treating allergy is applying
medication that block the effect of the substance histamine,
and thereby alleviate or prevent the symptoms occurring when
the antigen get into the body.
Another way is desensitisation treatment.
By this treatment one let the body get a controlled and gradually
increasing exposure to the allergens over a time period, and
when this period is over, one let the body get recurrent exposure
to a controlled dose at regular time intervals. By this treatment
the response from the immune system from the allergens gradually
decrease, partly because the immune system thereby learns
to recognize the allergens as harmless, and partly because
the antibodies against the allergens are used up.
There are also natural products on the marked
that contain ingredients that help the immune system to react
more appropriately. Important effects of these products are
reduced histamine secretion and increased histamine metabolism.
Examples of ingredients in such medicines are: Methylsulfonyl
methane, vitamin C, vitamin E, Echinacea purpurea, Quercetin,
grape Seed, Stinging nettle, Coleus Forskolin.
What
are Antihistamine drugs? |
How
does it work? | What
is it used for? | Who
can use it?|
Side
effects|
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Give
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